Not sure who saw the game and who didn't? I watched it, unfortunately part of it with the sound off when some company dropped in for a visit . It was def not what i predicted and would have to say it was a strange game really that seemed like a division rivalry moreso than a couple of teams who see each other once or twice a year? The game had hits, fights, injuries and some good and bad plays but seemed as though these two teams were playing with something to prove?

There were fights, including one (sort of fight?) between Burrows and Kessel of all people! Apparently his first fight since 2009? I won't even bother with the link as Burrows more or less just threw him down to the ice and not much more. Props to Phil for dropping the gloves though.

There was apparently a ton of chirping between teams at and around the benches? Again, a bit odd for two teams that don't meet often.

One thing i missed during the telecast, which apparently the announcers did as well, was Lupul's attempt at a blatant elbow/forearm to Henrik Sedin's head as he came out from behind the net. This is being discussed as "should this sort of play be suspendable"? The funniest part, if you didn't see it, is that Sedin avoids the elbow, but Kadri doesn't and Lupul smokes his own team mate! Imagine if Kadri had been concussed? Lol. I warn you, especially Leaf fans, that the following clip is from a 100% Vancouver biased/based source so take anything you read from it as you would. The video however, can really only be taken one way. http://blogs.theprovince.com/2013/11/03/the-attempted-assassination-of-henrik-sedin/

All in all a bit of a disappointing game as even Reimer couldn't keep it close. I was surprised the Leafs came out as flat as they did being a nationally televised Sat night game (though they do get these pretty much every week). I know they were finishing up a western road trip, but really, it was just 3 games AND they had the night off before? Hmmm, i didn't hear and Roxy stories from Friday night, so that couldn't be it. Anyway, one thing for sure is the Leafs have to be somewhat concerned with the fact they've been outshot in 13 of 15 games. That's asking a lot of your goalies!

quote:Originally posted by nuxfanThat elbow attempt was pure Matt Cooke style - a concussion to kadri would have been sweet justice.

You mean "Matt Cooke old school style"? Or Matt Cooke circa Vancouver Canuck days? Or were you confusing him with Duncan Keith?

There was definitely domination, but amazingly enough, at 11-0 in shots, the Leafs turned it around and made it 11-8 and could have had a goal or two of their own and made things interesting early. However, as the game wore on, def it was more and more one sided. Oddly enough, the back breaking goal was Higgins' wrister that Reimer would love to have back i'm sure. After all those incredible saves, that one was a gift and it came just 3mins after the 2nd goal.

One thing is didn't know till Sat night was just how much of a pest Clarkson is. I don't know if that's his normal style, but he was really trying to do anything to get under the skin of several Canucks, right from the opening face off where he was having a little joust with Daniel Sedin with their sticks. I always thought of him as a power forward with some skill and a guy who'd throw a hit (or a punch) when needed, but i didn't know he was so pest-like? Is this normal for him?

quote:Originally posted by Alex116 I always thought of him as a power forward with some skill and a guy who'd throw a hit (or a punch) when needed

Ha, so did Nonis when he signed him to that contract

I didn't see much of him when he was in NJ, so hard to comment. Being a pest is fine...but he's going to need to get 50 points per year as well to make that deal worthwhile.

To be clear, i wasn't criticizing Clarkson or his game at all. I was just surprised to see him with pest-like characteristics as part of his repetoire! I do agree though that he's gonna need to put up some points to justify his deal!

Slozo, that's the good thing about a great start, the Leafs can write this off as a bad game and move on. Hopefully for them though, they can get through this next period of games without Bozak and Bolland without too much damage. Goaltending can only carry a team so far. Heard they're trying out JVR at center?

quote:Originally posted by Alex116 I always thought of him as a power forward with some skill and a guy who'd throw a hit (or a punch) when needed

Ha, so did Nonis when he signed him to that contract

I didn't see much of him when he was in NJ, so hard to comment. Being a pest is fine...but he's going to need to get 50 points per year as well to make that deal worthwhile.

To be clear, i wasn't criticizing Clarkson or his game at all. I was just surprised to see him with pest-like characteristics as part of his repetoire! I do agree though that he's gonna need to put up some points to justify his deal!

Slozo, that's the good thing about a great start, the Leafs can write this off as a bad game and move on. Hopefully for them though, they can get through this next period of games without Bozak and Bolland without too much damage. Goaltending can only carry a team so far. Heard they're trying out JVR at center?

Good start or bad start, it was just another game. Non-divisional, and the third game on the Western swing road trip after winning both in Alberta. A loss was predictable, and should have deserved nothing more than a shrug of the shoulders.

Instead, because it's the Leafs - and fair enough, because Kessel got in a fight, and because Bolland got a weird and serious injury . . . we get a thread on it.

With all the Kessel vs Sedin's chatter in other threads, I think we were going to get a thread no matter what. Had the game gone the other way, it would have been crock or duke chortling away about the awesomeness of Kessel or the decline of the Sedin's, or both... Good times.

Another interesting tidbit from the game - VAN set a new wining streak record vs a single team, the win was VAN's 11th straight win vs TOR, stretching back over 10 years

quote:Originally posted by slozoGood start or bad start, it was just another game. Non-divisional, and the third game on the Western swing road trip after winning both in Alberta. A loss was predictable, and should have deserved nothing more than a shrug of the shoulders.

Instead, because it's the Leafs - and fair enough, because Kessel got in a fight, and because Bolland got a weird and serious injury . . . we get a thread on it.

But as a game, it's a . . . yawn. Whatever.

"Take off, eh?" - Bob and Doug

I could have made a thread talking about how dominant the Canucks were and that the Leafs suck, are over rated, etc but i didn't. I could have made separate threads re the Kessel scrap, the Kassian/Bolland hit, Reimer's great play on the night and the Lupul attempt at elbowing Henrik, which you convenently didn't comment on, but i didn't. I threw them all in one thread for discussion and unfortunately for whatever reasons, not many, especially Leafers, have chimed in. I give you credit for offering your opinion on some of what was mentioned, but surprisingly, the rest of the PUH Leaf Nation seems to be busy this week and not commenting.

I guess you are technically correct with your "Because it's the Leafs" comment, but it sure comes off in a sour grapes kind of way. True, if this was a game vs the Columbus Blue Jackets, i prob wouldn't have started a thread. However, i don't see too many CBJ fans on here talking about the great start their teams had and how good their top sniper is. Bottom line, i started a thread with some points from what was hyped as a big game that turned into a boring one. Only now am i left wondering if the same quiet nature around this one sided game would be here if the tables were turned? You know, like had the Leafs walked in here, dominated and left town with the 2 points from a 4-0 win? I'm sure it'd be the same old "But as a game, it's a . . . yawn. Whatever", right? Yeah, sure..........

This was not just one game. The Leafs, even though off to a great start, have had quite a few games where they had no business winning and the goalie saved their asses and they got the two points because of Reimer or Bernier.

The road trip in the west was a good example of it. Reimer 43 saves against Edmonton, and Bernier 41 saves against Calgary. Although I didn't watch the game against Edmonton, I can say that it was absolutely brutal against Calgary.

Against Vancouver was no different, well it was... the scoresheet, which is what matters.

But lets be honest Leafs fans, the Leafs are lazy right now because they are getting away with the lack of effort in the corners, the inability to keep some pressure in the offensive zone and the many turnovers in the defensive zone. They are getting away because Bernier and Reimer are simply amazing. So yeah the game against Vancouver was a predictable lost. As for the animosity... I think it was just a battle of we have something to prove.

Kesler was a beast though, and he's the reason Vancouver are off to a great start. It's good to see him back healthy. Scoring goals, blocking shots, backchecking, going in the corners, pp, pk, he's just doing everything right now.

i just question really why a new thread was started, and such in depth analysis was put in, just for one game. do you do this for all 82 games your team plays, or just the ones against the Leafs?

while i do admit that the Leafs got completely outplayed in every facet of the game, i also have to back up my fellow Leafer Slozo. it's one game. we lost, you won. whoopee...

Gipper.....Like i explained already, there are plenty of Leaf fans on this site and much of the banter here is about or involved them and their team. You, Slozo, Leafs81, fanoleaf, Duke, Crock (even though he denies it), etc are regular contributors, especially lately, and i thought it was something you'd be interested in discussing. Fact is, your team put up a stinker, predictable or not, and it had more than a couple of odd occurances which i mentioned.

So, let's look at what i did........1. I start a thread about two of the most talked about Teams on PUH after a Saturday night clash with both teams starting the season well. 2. I compliment Reimer on his excellent play which kept his team in the game.3. I comment / question what seemed like an unusual amount of animosity between two teams which hardly face each other.4. I bring up the hit on Bolland and the subsequent injury to a guy who's been very valuable to the Leafs.5. I give props to Kessel for sticking up for himself and dropping the gloves when challenged.6. I mention the attempted cheapshot that Lupul threw at Henrik only to crush his own team mate with, something that oddly (or not), no Leaf fan has rushed to comment on.

Would it have been better for me to start 6 different threads, one for each of those things i listed above that i brought up for discussion???

So, what do i get back from Leaf fans??? Oh, it's just another game. Why did you make a thread? Do you do this for all your teams games? It was predictable (sure hope you and Slozo won some serious money wagering on the Canucks ). Like i already mentioned, a 4-0 road win for Toronto where Ryan Kesler tried to decapitate Kessel, the Leafs dominated, Burrow's had a severed tendon, etc would have been "just another game" too, right? Yeah......sure. Wanna buy a bridge?

In no way did i even attempt to belittle the Leafs or rub this win in anyone's face, and this is the kind of replies i get??? I'd prefer no reply at all if that's all you have to offer. Seriously, i read these replies and i'm left shaking my head. It's no wonder some people can't stand the Leafs and their fans.

i just question really why a new thread was started, and such in depth analysis was put in, just for one game. do you do this for all 82 games your team plays, or just the ones against the Leafs?

while i do admit that the Leafs got completely outplayed in every facet of the game, i also have to back up my fellow Leafer Slozo. it's one game. we lost, you won. whoopee...

Gipper.....Like i explained already, there are plenty of Leaf fans on this site and much of the banter here is about or involved them and their team. You, Slozo, Leafs81, fanoleaf, Duke, Crock (even though he denies it), etc are regular contributors, especially lately, and i thought it was something you'd be interested in discussing. Fact is, your team put up a stinker, predictable or not, and it had more than a couple of odd occurances which i mentioned.

So, let's look at what i did........1. I start a thread about two of the most talked about Teams on PUH after a Saturday night clash with both teams starting the season well. 2. I compliment Reimer on his excellent play which kept his team in the game.3. I comment / question what seemed like an unusual amount of animosity between two teams which hardly face each other.4. I bring up the hit on Bolland and the subsequent injury to a guy who's been very valuable to the Leafs.5. I give props to Kessel for sticking up for himself and dropping the gloves when challenged.6. I mention the attempted cheapshot that Lupul threw at Henrik only to crush his own team mate with, something that oddly (or not), no Leaf fan has rushed to comment on.

Would it have been better for me to start 6 different threads, one for each of those things i listed above that i brought up for discussion???

So, what do i get back from Leaf fans??? Oh, it's just another game. Why did you make a thread? Do you do this for all your teams games? It was predictable (sure hope you and Slozo won some serious money wagering on the Canucks ). Like i already mentioned, a 4-0 road win for Toronto where Ryan Kesler tried to decapitate Kessel, the Leafs dominated, Burrow's had a severed tendon, etc would have been "just another game" too, right? Yeah......sure. Wanna buy a bridge?

In no way did i even attempt to belittle the Leafs or rub this win in anyone's face, and this is the kind of replies i get??? I'd prefer no reply at all if that's all you have to offer. Seriously, i read these replies and i'm left shaking my head. It's no wonder some people can't stand the Leafs and their fans.

I don't want to make this into a personal attack here Alex, but . . . you come off as very full of yourself. Expecting these great replies because you are patting yourself on the back for being some fair-minded Canuck fan . . . and now giving us this hurt demeanour because, what . . . we didn't recognise how great and fair you were?

And you totally miss a salient point here from all this discussion, something which I've stated before . . . over and over again . . . whenever it's a game with the Leafs, it's all about the Leafs.

I'm not even going to go into detail explaining it frankly, because it's out there, obvious for everyone to see . . . and you either see it, or you don't.

FYI - I got a shutout and a decent amount of points, as I have Luongo, Daniel Sedin and Kesler in my pool . . . and sadly, only Lupul from the Leafs. Not that it has anything to do with who I would cheer for . . .

Gipper.....Like i explained already, there are plenty of Leaf fans on this site and much of the banter here is about or involved them and their team. You, Slozo, Leafs81, fanoleaf, Duke, Crock (even though he denies it), etc are regular contributors, especially lately, and i thought it was something you'd be interested in discussing. Fact is, your team put up a stinker, predictable or not, and it had more than a couple of odd occurances which i mentioned.

So, let's look at what i did........1. I start a thread about two of the most talked about Teams on PUH after a Saturday night clash with both teams starting the season well. 2. I compliment Reimer on his excellent play which kept his team in the game.3. I comment / question what seemed like an unusual amount of animosity between two teams which hardly face each other.4. I bring up the hit on Bolland and the subsequent injury to a guy who's been very valuable to the Leafs.5. I give props to Kessel for sticking up for himself and dropping the gloves when challenged.6. I mention the attempted cheapshot that Lupul threw at Henrik only to crush his own team mate with, something that oddly (or not), no Leaf fan has rushed to comment on.

Would it have been better for me to start 6 different threads, one for each of those things i listed above that i brought up for discussion???

So, what do i get back from Leaf fans??? Oh, it's just another game. Why did you make a thread? Do you do this for all your teams games? It was predictable (sure hope you and Slozo won some serious money wagering on the Canucks ). Like i already mentioned, a 4-0 road win for Toronto where Ryan Kesler tried to decapitate Kessel, the Leafs dominated, Burrow's had a severed tendon, etc would have been "just another game" too, right? Yeah......sure. Wanna buy a bridge?

In no way did i even attempt to belittle the Leafs or rub this win in anyone's face, and this is the kind of replies i get??? I'd prefer no reply at all if that's all you have to offer. Seriously, i read these replies and i'm left shaking my head. It's no wonder some people can't stand the Leafs and their fans.

are you really giving me crap for not attempting to make a good discussion/debate? why? because i'm a Leaf fan, and this has to do with my team? i don't need to chime in on everything and anything to do with the Leafs, n'or do i want to. especially when there isn't much to say from my side of the discussion. they sucked. end of story.

quote:Originally posted by slozoI don't want to make this into a personal attack here Alex, but . . . you come off as very full of yourself. Expecting these great replies because you are patting yourself on the back for being some fair-minded Canuck fan . . . and now giving us this hurt demeanour because, what . . . we didn't recognise how great and fair you were?

What a garbage reply. First off, i could care less if you "personally attacked" me, though i do realize it's against the rules here, prob the real reason you don't wanna make it that to begin with. Secondly, if you really feel i'm coming off as "full of myself" and "patting myself on the back...." etc, you failed in comprehension big time. Third, if i was "expecting these great replies", then i failed as bad as possible. I failed even worse than Lupul did in his attempt to throw a cheap shot at Henrik Sedin, and THAT, considering the outcome, was a HUGE FAIL! BTW, i'm not "hurt" in the least. I'm actually just disgusted in your failure to discuss the points i brought up, instead choosing to criticize the fact i started a thread regarding a game with your beloved team.

quote:Originally posted by slozoAnd you totally miss a salient point here from all this discussion, something which I've stated before . . . over and over again . . . whenever it's a game with the Leafs, it's all about the Leafs.

I'm not even going to go into detail explaining it frankly, because it's out there, obvious for everyone to see . . . and you either see it, or you don't.

How is it i missed this important point anyway? I saw you brought that up and i think i explained myself pretty clearly. Lemme ask you this, did i or did i not touch on this when i mentioned the numerous Leaf fans on PUH as well as the 3 or 4 incidents i highlighted for discussion??? Yet you think i missed this "salient point"? How is that again?

quote:Originally posted by slozoFYI - I got a shutout and a decent amount of points, as I have Luongo, Daniel Sedin and Kesler in my pool . . . and sadly, only Lupul from the Leafs. Not that it has anything to do with who I would cheer for . . .

Yay! Way to go! Congrats!!! Uhh, wait a sec, what's this got to do with anything??? Please tell me this wasn't a retort to my comment about you guys gambling on this game???

Know what, you need to get over the fact that threads will be started about your Leafs. Fact is, they're the team with the most fans in the world. They're also the most hated team in the world. What do you think the result would be??? I guess i didn't realize till now just how sensitive you are to them losing and maybe having to discuss it or see others do so?

Lastly, when you guys ask "why a thread had to be started" over this one game, where else would you have prefered i try to open up discussion about Kessels scrap, Bollands injury and Lupul's attempted cheap shot??? Did you want me to hijack the Kessel thread? Maybe throw it in with the "Moulson/Vanek trade"? Next time i'll simply open three or four different new threads so that i'm not blamed for starting a thread "because it's the Leafs". Oh wait, that'll still happen.

quote:Originally posted by The_Gipperare you really giving me crap for not attempting to make a good discussion/debate? why? because i'm a Leaf fan, and this has to do with my team? i don't need to chime in on everything and anything to do with the Leafs, n'or do i want to. especially when there isn't much to say from my side of the discussion. they sucked. end of story.

Where did i give you crap Gip??? I answered your question as to why i started a thread re this game. I can't believe i even have to answer that when it's pretty clear why. Hopefully my explanation has shown this, though i highly doubt it. You see, i don't care if you didn't want to "chime in" or discuss it at all. If that was the case, you do realize you have the option not to, right? If nothing else, the line you just posted above "there isn't much to say from my side of the discussion. they sucked. end of story." would have sufficed. It's your choice whether or not to discuss it, however, questioning why a discussion has been attempted comes off poorly imo. Next time you can just pass on the discussion and it would prob be better for all of us.

Alex, I watched the second and third period of that game and I was truly surprised at how one-sided it was. Not by a little, but by a lot. In fact I don't recall a game so one-sided in a long time.

What struck me the hardest was not how bad the Leafs were (and they really stunk up the joint) but actually how good the Canucks were. I really didn't expect much from them this year and they are proving me wrong thus far. I agree with Leafs81, Kessler was a beast and he seems to have regained his form. When he is on, the Canucks are on - I heard a stat that when he scores the Canucks win something like 98% of the time - pretty impressive.

Slozo, Gipper, Leafs81, I didn't actually reasearch this but I think I've noticed that the Leafs are getting pretty badly out-shot this season. If it's true, why do you think that is? And can Reimer and Bernier handle that kind of rubber for an entire season?

Exactly Leigh, That's what scares me. Even though the 11-5 record is a great start. The outcomes of the games doesn't always reflect what happened on the ice. Bernier and Reimer are standing on their heads and stealing games. It's not just the amount of shots, but the quality of shots too. It's scary.

Alex, I watched the second and third period of that game and I was truly surprised at how one-sided it was. Not by a little, but by a lot. In fact I don't recall a game so one-sided in a long time.

What struck me the hardest was not how bad the Leafs were (and they really stunk up the joint) but actually how good the Canucks were. I really didn't expect much from them this year and they are proving me wrong thus far. I agree with Leafs81, Kessler was a beast and he seems to have regained his form. When he is on, the Canucks are on - I heard a stat that when he scores the Canucks win something like 98% of the time - pretty impressive.

Slozo, Gipper, Leafs81, I didn't actually reasearch this but I think I've noticed that the Leafs are getting pretty badly out-shot this season. If it's true, why do you think that is? And can Reimer and Bernier handle that kind of rubber for an entire season?

Leafs are getting badly outshot, and it's definitely a top priority for the Leafs coach to change that, I am sure.

Someone could almost start another thread on it . . . but this Leafs team, AND the one last year, have completely bucked the CORSI system, and somehow keep winning, with a ridiculously high goals per shot percentage . . . statistically, it should catch up at some point. But goaltending is the big factor here, alongside having guys who can snipe on your second and third lines . . .

Heh every1. I didn't see the Canuck or other games lately ( night shift at work ) but it must have been pretty bad from all I've read. Seems like the leafs stink lately.

Leigh...these big time out shot games must have some explanation....can't say I really know but I can only offer my opinion on what I've seen from the leafs over the last several seasons.......has a leaf fan , it seems to me that this version of the leafs still does not have a team identity ....style of play, shall we say.

Ron Wilson tried run and gun with very limited offence and lousy goal tending...needless to say this was a disaster....Randy Carlyle is preaching total defence .....it's like the leafs went from one extreme style of play...to...a 100 % total opposite direction in a short period of time and the on ice players seem confused for durations of time during a game.

I've seen Carlyle sit his offensive talent for getting caught deep in the opposing teams end, it's like torontos forwards are always on edge as for knowing what is the right thing to do with regard to appeasing their coach......this is just what I see, maybe I'm wrong......

I'm not saying Carlyle is a bad coach, just saying his expectations of play is causing periods of confusion on the ice.

At times the leafs look like true contenders , these periods seem to come when they are playing free wheeling end to end hockey..........some times they look look a team of duds, these periods seem to come when they are playing a boring trap type game ....severe line matching....which Carlyle seems to be trying to instill in every1 but the system ( in my opinion ) takes away the natural offensive instincts of an offensive player.

This is just a theory I have with torontos low shots on goal problems, and high shots against .....simply because when your mindset is always defending.....it's hard to create offence......especially when you ( as a player ) know that if you don't commit to total defence first, your coach will discipline you....eg...take away your ice time.....

The leafs right now ( for the first time in a long time ) have tons of skilled fire power.....they just simply aren't utilizing it with a constant defensive mind set.